Yale Field

252 Derby Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516

Yale Field has a proud tradition that has produced legendary
figures and historical events. What once was part of an apple
orchard and farm, purchased by the school in 1882, is now a
baseball field of major league proportions.

The Bulldogs have been playing on this land since the turn of
the 20th century, when it was just an open field with a few
bleachers. In 1927, Yale began construction on a concrete and steel
structure that would cost approximately a half million dollars.
There were bleachers along the outfield foul lines that allowed an
overall seating capacity of 12,000 at Yale Field. The bleachers
were removed when the Yale-Harvard games traditionally held on
reunion weekend were discontinued in the 1960s. Most of the
grandstand stood in its original form until 1993, when the
project to produce the renovated stadium began.

The first game at newly renovated Yale Field was in 1928 and
pitted the Bulldogs against the Eastern League New Haven
Professionals. The first ball was thrown out by Mayor Tower of New
Haven, and the pros blanked the home team, 12-0. This wasn't the
only time professional teams played there; Major League teams
played games at Yale before and during World War II. Babe Ruth, Lou
Gehrig and Ted Williams all made appearances.

The pine trees that line the outfield fence gave Yale Field the
look of a stadium. The tops of the trees are still visible, but the
signage and taller home run fence also provide a stadium-like
atmosphere.

The 35-foot, green, metal scoreboard in centerfield was likely
built some time after play began at the renovated field in 1928,
and it has certainly has seen a few titanic shots since then. Like
fish-catching stories, tales of the great home runs clouted at Yale
Field are difficult to substantiate, though Dan Thompson '96 did
crack one long ball far beyond the scoreboard in the 1995 Ivy
League playoffs.

Ruth once remarked that the playing surface at Yale Field was
the best he had ever seen, and not much of it changed during the
renovation. The only alterations made were the shortening of the
right field fence from 340 feet to 315 and the reduction of foul
territory down the right field line. The dimensions are now (from
left to right): 330-375-405-375-315.

Yale Field has been the site of many historic games for the
Bulldog nine. The 1981 NCAA Northeast Regionals took place there,
and the extra-inning thriller between future Major League Baseball
stars Frank Viola of St. John's and Yale's Ron Darling was one of
the most famous collegiate contests of all time. It was May 21,
1981, when the Eastern League champions played host to the Redmen,
who won the game by a 1-0 count. Darling fired hitless baseball for
11 consecutive and scoreless innings, until the visitors finally
broke up the no-hitter in the 12th stanza, which would eventually
turn into the game-winning run on a double steal.

This collegiate baseball cathedral has hosted numerous
commencement days, high school and American Legion playoff games
and other special events. The New Haven Ravens, a Double-A Eastern
League team, played at Yale Field from 1994 through 2003 and
hosted the 1998 Double-A All-Star game there.

But the most talked about afternoon on this land may have been
the day Ruth came to town in 1948. The Bambino came to present a
copy of his autobiography to captain George Bush '48, the now
former United States President, for the Yale Library. It was one of
the Babe's last public appearances.

Legends do live at Yale Field, and the current Bulldogs look to
perpetuate these legends and encourage new ones.